Legal Rebels

Lawyers, organizations design task-automation software with Jonathan Pyle’s Docassemble

In 2015, Jonathan Pyle built Docassemble, a free, open-source platform for expert systems and document assembly. People use it to assemble filings for a variety of legal issues, including divorce, eviction and Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Sep 1, 2019 12:10 AM CDT

Meet the 2019 Legal Rebels

When the ABA Journal named the first class of Legal Rebels 10 years ago, the legal industry was undergoing rapid transformation. Ten years later, it’s clear that many of the same issues that drove the original class of Legal Rebels to look for solutions outside the mainstream are still prevalent.

Sep 1, 2019 12:05 AM CDT

Mississippi ranks last when it comes to access to justice; Tiffany Graves hopes to change that

Growing up in a working-class household and with a large extended family in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Tiffany Graves knows what it looks like when a lawyer’s services are out of reach.

Sep 1, 2019 12:00 AM CDT

Avvo founder unwinds as he thinks about the next step

Mark Britton, the former CEO and founder of the attorney ratings site Avvo, is taking a break. But he has some business development advice for the profession, he tells the ABA Journal’s Stephanie Francis Ward.

Jun 12, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

David Van Zandt has made a career out of touching third rails in higher education

When David Van Zandt became dean of what is now Northwestern University's Pritzker School of Law in 1995, he faced a steep learning curve. Up until then, he had never managed an organization of more than a few people.

May 15, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Career of Above the Law founder and Legal Rebel takes another turn

David Lat, the former federal prosecutor who founded the blog Above the Law, has decided to become a legal recruiter. Lat will be a managing director of the New York City office of Lateral Link, he announced in an Above the Law column Monday. The new job follows Lat’s decision…

May 7, 2019 12:39 PM CDT

Nonprofit law pioneer applauds ‘low bono’ growth

Before they were buzzwords, Luz Herrera was a pioneer in the world of "low bono" practice, nonprofit law firms and legal incubators. All three innovations have blossomed and spread across the country since then.

Apr 17, 2019 6:30 AM CDT

Not content with retirement, Jeff Carr continues the fight against billable hours

Jeff Carr has been on a 40-year path of improving lawyer efficiency and effectiveness. “There’s an old saying that if you pay for service by the hour, you buy hours and not service,” he says. “And I still believe that very much.”

Mar 13, 2019 6:00 AM CDT

From consulting to politics, former Orrick CEO continues to beat the drum for change

When Ralph Baxter joined the inaugural class of Legal Rebels in 2009, he was the CEO and chairman of Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Just a year into the biggest recession since the Great Depression, he caught the ABA Journal’s attention through his initiatives that took Orrick from a domestic, California-based firm to an international heavyweight while navigating economic turbulence.

Jan 16, 2019 7:00 AM CST

Young lawyers can be technophobes too, says legal tech entrepreneur Monica Goyal

Many lawyers are reluctant to adopt new legal technology, says Monica Goyal, who developed platforms including My Legal Briefcase, which helps parties in the Canadian small claims courts, and Aluvion Law, which uses automation to cut legal services costs for small businesses.

Dec 12, 2018 6:45 AM CST

Make room for chatbots at your firm, LawDroid founder says

Chatbots have a place in a law office, says legal chatbot creator Tom Martin, because they can handle busy work that eats up precious time in a lawyer’s day.

Nov 14, 2018 6:00 AM CST

Could 80 percent of cases be resolved through online dispute resolution? (podcast)

Perhaps in five to seven years, as Colin Rule sees it, half of U.S. citizens who file court cases will have access to online dispute resolution software walking them step by step through their matters, resolving up to 80 percent of cases.

Oct 17, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

Legal writing pro is helping teach AI to draft contracts (podcast)

Ken Adams has brought his contract expertise to a Pittsburgh artificial intelligence startup. The transactional lawyer stopped practicing law “the regular way,” as he puts it, in 2006 and devoted himself full time to his interest in contract language. After constant exploration on the topic, the 57-year-old 2009 ABA Journal…

Sep 12, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Billie Tarascio: Her law firm is her lab

Billie Tarascio is experimenting on her law firm for the profession’s greater good.

Sep 1, 2018 2:25 AM CDT

Basha Rubin and Mirra Levitt: Doing it with data

While business owners and in-house counsels usually find outside counsels through referrals, Basha Rubin says that often doesn’t lead to a good result in terms of cost and experience. The New York City lawyer believes that data can fill the gap.